Fang is Missing!
by Karman-Eliot
Summary: The flock finds families to stay with, except Fang. He leaves Max to wallow in guilt. Now Max has to find Fang because he's in serious trouble... FAX!


Maximum Ride

**Max's POV**

_"Max! Come play with me," Angel called from across the yard. I walked up to her, but she only ran off, giggling. I couldn't help but laugh myself. I chased after her in the huge field next to our old house. Her curls bounced as she ran. I caught her and fell in the grass as I held her in my grasp. We both laughed-_

I jolted upright as I came back from my dream, sweat running down my face and neck. The dream about Angel again. I burst into tears, not able to hold them back this time. Angel and Gazzy had found their families. Angel and Gazzy wanted to stay with them, so I let them. Soon after Nudge found her family. Iggy decided to stay with her, since his family only wanted to turn him into a freak show. Nudge's parents even offered for the rest of us to stay. I turned them down. I had my mom, Dr. Martinez.

So, after letting Iggy and Nudge go, it was just me and Fang. And all I have to say is that wasn't a pleasant time. I remember it like it happened only a day ago.

_"How could you just let them go?!" Fang yelled at me. We were sitting in a cave at the top of a mountain with a fire going. I had said nothing. Nudge just found her parents and Iggy stayed with her. What could I have said? Nothing. I didn't deserve having a say in this. "You fucking idiot! We were a family! I can't even look at you right now. Just let them go, yeah, what a great mother figure you are to them... If you want to be with your family too, then I'll do you a favor and just leave __for__ you. Don't go through the trouble of finding my family to get rid of me. I don't even want to be with them in the first place. I'll just go on my own." He walked to the entrance to the cave and jumped. He fell out of my view, then he swooped up into the sky, leaving me here to wallow in self pity..._

And just like that, he had left me. I was going to ask him if he wanted to stay with me at my mom's house, but he was so angry. So I left the next morning and wound up here. The night I had made it here, I broke down in sobs. When they could calm me down, I explained everything to them. And that's how we made it to where we are now. I've been living here for about a month now. Sometimes I have dreams about the whole flock, but it would always be missing one person. Fang. Sometimes I would have dreams with a single person from the flock. They were always recapping the fun times we had before we were on the run. But Fang, oh Fang. Not Fang. I would always have dreams about him curled up, all alone. Always in the cold and it would be snowing. He had nothing to eat, not place to stay. It would be the same dream over and over again, unchanging. And the thing that broke my heart the most is he would die from starvation and the cold. It was just awful.

I got up from my new bed in Ella's room and walked to the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face over and over until I felt better. I grabbed a towel and dried my face off and looked in the mirror. I gasped. Fang was standing behind me. He was skin and bone, his skin was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. I turned around only to see he wasn't there. I looked back at the mirror only to see Fang not there. God, I'm losing my mind. _You need to go find him_, my voice chimed in. Great!

_How am I suppose to do that? He hates me, and I have no idea where he went to_, I yelled in my mind. How was I going to find him? How would he react when I found him? Would he let me help him? That would be a gritty, in my face, NO! He wouldn't even let me get close enough to him to even talk to him! _Max, he's in serious trouble. If you don't find him soon, he could die._

Yah know. I wish I never had a voice in the first place. _He's back in New York, _said my voice_._ We'll, I didn't say it wasn't handy once and a while. So, mister almighty needs my help. That surprises me.

The next morning I woke up to the smell of freshly made bacon and biscuits. I rolled over, not wanting to get up. Something heavy jumped on me. "Max! Get up! Breakfast will be ready soon!" It was Ella. She bounced on the bed and said get up over and over again. "Okay, I'm up." I pulled the covers off of me and sat up, stretching. Ella slid off my bed and skipped from our room to the kitchen. I got up and took a hot shower and dressed in some plane bell bottom jeans and a plane black shirt. I've never worn this shirt. It was one of Fang's that he left behind. I know that's really weird and all, but I miss him. I miss his smell, his voice, his half smile.... sigh.

I walked out into the kitchen and grabbed a plate to join my mom and Ella. "Good morning," I tried to sound cheerful. Mom gave me a weird look. "Where did you get that shirt? I don't remember washing it."

"I've had this thing for a while. Since before I met you." I put a few pieces of bacon on my plate, a biscuit, some fruit, and grab a glass of orange juice. We all sat at the table and started eating. All was quiet, so I had to break the ice. "Mom, I need to fly to New York."

"What?! Why do you need to go there?!" I knew she was going to be shocked about this. "It's Fang. Do you remember the voice in my head? The one that's not my own? It told me I needed to find him. It told me he was in New York. How it knows this, I can't tell. I'm leaving after I eat and get my things together."

"No! You can't!" Ella yelled across the table. "I promise I'll be back. And I'll be bringing Fang whether he likes it or not. I'm going to fly there on my own." Mom nodded her head in a silent agreement. She didn't want me to go, and I didn't blame her.

After breakfast, I started to pack my things, with a little help from Mom and Ella. I stood out in the yard, with Ella and Mom at my back. I let my wings through the slits in Fang's shirt that were already cut when I found the it. I even wore my old jacket that I had when my flock and I were on the run. After stretching my wings and letting a little sun get on them, I turned to my mom and little sister with a smile. "I'll see you guys soon. I'll miss you." I gave Ella and my mom a hug. "You be careful," she told me. I nodded.

I sucked in a deep breath, then leaped in the air. A few hard down strokes and I was headed up. I could feel mom and Ella's gaze on me as I flew north east to New York. Just hang in there Fang. I'm coming.

**Fang POV**

God it's so cold here. Why did I even come here in the first place? I wonder if Max is okay. Would she take me back in if I asked? No. She probably hates me right now, and she has every right to be mad at me. I blew up for no reason. I should be happy that the rest of the flock found real families to be with. I shouldn'thave blown up in her face like that.

I shouldn't be worrying about that right now! I have bigger problems, like stealing something to eat. A nice little convenient store across the street. No cameras inside, but a mirror in the corner so the store manager can see in the back. This should be easy. The guy managing the store is reading a magazine and hasn't taken his eyes off it for quite sometime, even when there is a customer. Okay, here we go.

I bolt across the street to avoid passing cars. The store manager doesn't notice me walking up. I walk in and head to the back where all the bags of beef jerky and chips are. Still no noticing. I take a few bags of beef jerky and chips and shove them in my jacket. The kid turns the page of his magazine, still not looking up. I walk up to the freezer door and open it. The kid takes a glance at me. Crap, he noticed me. I pretend that I have no interest in the drinks and act like I'm shutting the door. He looks away and a snatch a Pepsi. I walk up and down the isles, acting like I'm looking for something. After a few minutes of that, I walk past the counter and to the door. The kid doesn't even stop me! How stupid!

I take a few steps out the door and to the road, then I bolt! I ran like I'm being chased by Erasers. I ran all the way back to the subway tunnels, where I've been staying for the past month. It brings back painful memories though. Like Ari kicking my ass, Max's brain explosions, that kid with the computer. But Ari's dead, so I have no worries about him. Surprisingly, I haven't seen him around. Oh well.

There was an open spot in the corner of the huge opening inside the tunnel with a barrel with holes in it. I walked over and lit a fire to keep warm and pulled out the bags of chips and beef jerky. I ripped open the bag of the jerky with my teeth and gnawed on a piece. There has to be another place where I can go. I have no reason to be in New York.

I noticed, from the corner of my eye, two kids with dirty faces staring at me. I turned to look at them. They were hungry, I could see it in their eyes. It was a little girl and little boy, both blond haired and blue eyed. It reminded me of Gazzy and Angel. My heart broke in two to see these kids starve. I zipped the bag shut and tossed it over to them. They looked at the bag, then back at me. "Go ahead. You can eat it." The little girl snatched up the bag and crawled back to her brother and under the one blanket they had. I felt better knowing those kids would live a little longer. They won't last living on the streets their age, even if you are a mutant. They couldn't be much older than seven or eight. I munched on the chips a little, but I soon after lost my appetite due to old memories. So I put away the bag of chips and tried to get some sleep.

**Max POV**

It was starting to get dark when I hit Pennsylvania. I found some old, forgotten tree-house and decided to hunker down there for the night. I know I wouldn't be able to sleep, but I could rest my wings and get something to eat. I landed in the tree house and did some recon and found a McDonalds. My mom had given me a lot of money for my trip so I won't go hungry. She tried to give me enough so I could stay in a hotel or something, but I knew it wasn't going to be enough between me and Fang, and the trip up there.

I left my bag in the abandoned building and flew to the edge of the trees and landed. I ordered two double cheese burgers, two large fries, and a few of those apple pies Nudge loves so much... Nudge... I miss the flock. Believe it or not, I miss Nudge's babble about fashion all the time. I'll have to visit them sometime.

That brought back too many memories. I had one mission, to save Fang. I never figured he'd need my help. I paid for the food and when I reached the woods again, flew back to the tree house. I sat and ate something warm, and glad that I did, remembering all the times we didn't have enough to eat. Once I had a full stomach, I waited for dawn so that I could fly off for Fang. I should reach him by tomorrow evening. Sleep soon took me, holding me in its dark embrace. To my relief, I had no dreams. The first good rest I've had in a long time.

I woke up the next morning with a terrible headache, but I had to take off. It wasn't even bright outside yet. By that evening I reached New York. It was freezing here! I hope Fang is okay, as in by not freezing to death. I know he's strong, but I'm not so sure about him being on his own. What if he is dead? God! I'm so stupid! I should have stopped Fang from leaving. But here I am looking for him in these god for-sake'n streets of New York.

I did a three-sixty to see no Fang. I turned into an ally way to see if he had stayed there.

Nothing. No trace of Fang, or anyone for that fact. I turned to leave, only to back into someone. I whipped around hoping it was Fang because he sneaks up on me, but instead it was a guy. An armed guy. He had a gun pointed at my chest and smiled really big. Grosse! Someone came from behind and pulled my arms behind my back. I didn't even struggle. Instead I gave him a bored look and sighed. "Just be quiet and I won't shoot you," said the guy holding the gun.

"Like hell you will!" I stopped breathing. A figure hopped down from a building and took out the guy holding my arms. "Run!" He yelled, just in time to get shot in the arm. He hissed in a breath and I punched the guy with the gun in the face, him falling to the ground. "Go!" The person yelled. He grabbed my arm and we both ran through the ally and behind buildings until we were far from the man with the gun.

The man stopped and leaned against a wall. "What the hell are _you_ doing here!?" They yelled.

"I'm on a luxury cruise... I'm here to save you!"

"Well, it looks to me that _I'm_ the one whose doing the saving!"

"I could have taken them!... What am I doing? Here we are Fang, fighting again. I came to apologize and come get you, if you wanted to come back..." I sat down and buried my face in my hands.

"Max-"

"No, don't try to tell me that I'm wrong. My whole flock is gone! But I couldn't let them go on any longer without their families-"

"Crap." Fang slid to the ground holding his arm. "Oh my god!" I crawled over to Fang and pulled off his jacked and dug through my bag for the first aid kit. "Feels just like old times," Fang said, interrupting my concentration. "The bullet is still in there. You're gonna have to bare with the pain Fang." I pulled out a pair of tweezers and dug it into his arm. He pressed his lips together tightly as more blood spilled out on his arm. I pulled out the bullet and threw it to the side, then pulled out some surgical stitches. "Where the hell did you get those?"

"Mom. I've been staying there and helping her with her work. Now hold still." Fang obeyed and didn't even flinch. I snipped the string and pulled out an alcohol pad and wiped off the blood, then wrapped his arm in gauze. "You've become quite the doctor since I've been gone."

"Heh, yeah, and it's a good thing too." Fang put his jacket back on and stood up. "So, do you want to come back with me to Dr. Martinez's house? It would give me some peace of mind if you did," I said packing the first aid kit. "Under one condition," he said.

"And what is that?" Fang kneeled down to my level and got really close to my face. "I'm really sorry about what I did. You have no idea how sorry I am. Just make a promise that we'll never make this mistake again." I stared into his dark eyes. This time they revealed his emotions. He was concerned and sad. Now that I take a closer look at him, he was so thin. Too thin! My god! He must have lost about fifteen pounds, and he didn't weigh much to begin with. "Fang, you're so thin. We need to get you some food-

"That's getting off subject Max. Just promise me and I'll come with you."

"Fang, I promise. Now we need to get you something to eat. Where's the nearest McDonald's?"

***

Well, I have to say this was interesting to watch. Fang wolfed down four burgers with pickles, tomatoes and such, three fries, two milk shakes, and three apple pies. That's a lot even for us. He looked wore out and was falling asleep in his chair. "Come on Fang. We need to find a place to stay."

"Uuuhnn.... I ate too much. That's the first time I've said that in a long time."

"No, you needed that. Now come on." He stood and all the people in there were staring at him. I looked at them and raised an eyebrow, then they all looked away.


End file.
